Ann-Elise Henzl

News Director

Ann-Elise Henzl

Ann-Elise Henzl became news director in September 2017.

Prior to her appointment, she worked in the WUWM Newsroom for more than 20 years. She served in a number of roles, including executive producer of the award-winning Project Milwaukee series, substitute news anchor for Morning Edition, and general assignment reporter.

Ann-Elise has been recognized for her work on numerous occasions, such as when she and a colleague shared the national Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (for best use of sound in a story).

Ann-Elise has English and Mass Communication degrees from UW-Milwaukee, and attended Marquette University for two years.

When she's not at work, she often can be found at one of the area's dog parks, with her pal, Peabody.

Our latest Bubbler Talk report involves the large metal tower at the entrance to Estabrook Park, near the border of Milwaukee and Shorewood. The listener asked: "What is the giant ugly metal tower used for?"

He might be surprised to learn that the tower houses WUWM's antenna, along with that of WITI Channel 6, and a couple other radio stations.

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday voted "no" to a question about whether the state constitution should be amended, in order to eliminate the post of state treasurer. The vote was a binding referendum.

Groups that wanted to do away with the position argued that most of the duties of state treasurer had been absorbed by other agencies and offices over the years. The current treasurer, Matt Adamczyk, was one of the people pushing for the post to be disbanded. He said the office has outlived its purpose.

An independent survey released earlier this month indicated that most Milwaukee residents are somewhat, or very, satisfied with police.

Yet many people, especially minorities, view the police through a lens of frustration, anger, or even fear. The city could be at a pivotal juncture, however, with last month's retirement of longtime Police Chief Edward Flynn, and the eventual installation of a new leader.

WUWM's latest Project Milwaukee series, To Protect and Serve, airs March 26-30. It will focus on relations between law enforcement and the community it is sworn to protect, at a time of major transition. We preview the series with two of the people that helped shape it - Ann-Elise Henzl, WUWM News director and Audrey Nowakowski, Lake Effect producer and Project Milwaukee co-executive producer.

Gov. Scott Walker gave his eighth State of the State Address Wednesday afternoon. Speaking to the full Legislature, the Republican governor told lawmakers that 2017 was a "historic" year for Wisconsin, and that the state is in an amazing period of prosperity and promise.

"And you know what? We're just getting started. Foxconn, for example, will begin construction this year on a $10 billion campus," Walker said.

The City of Milwaukee health department is under fire -- amid a management shake-up. It became public Friday afternoon that the department failed to properly notify thousands of families, whose children tested positive for elevated blood lead levels. It also became public that health commissioner Bevan Baker has left his post.

A federal judge determined on Friday that Daniel Black can pursue a claim that former Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke made a retaliatory threat against Black on social media, which Black says was meant to deter free speech.

The claim involves an incident in January of 2017. That's when Black boarded an airplane bound for Milwaukee. As he made his way to his seat, he noticed Clarke was a fellow passenger. Black says he shook his head at Clarke, who was wearing Dallas Cowboys apparel.

One of the longest-serving ministers in southeastern Wisconsin is retiring at the end of this year. The Rev. Tony Larsen will step down after more than four decades at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church in Racine.

In addition to his work within the church walls, Larsen has been a regular figure at outdoor vigils that are held for victims of homicide.

Larsen says at first, he didn't think that role would be an appropriate one.

The Milwaukee Fire Department announced Friday that it has terminated five fire cadets, based on complaints from several female cadets. A statement from the MFD says the department opened an internal investigation after the female cadets filed complaints on Monday Dec. 18.

The statement does not go into detail, but says that the probe focused on complaints of "sexual harassment and unprofessional conduct in the workplace."

Winter is officially here, even though we have yet to see a big snowfall. But that'll probably come soon enough. And then you'll hear the sound of plows making their way down snow-covered streets.

The snow removal process -- especially the salt that's used -- fascinates one of our Bubbler Talk listeners, who asked us to look into it. So we stopped at one of the City of Milwaukee's salt domes in the Department of Public Works yard near 35th and Lincoln. The big structures house the salt supply in wintertime.

Speculation about Paul Ryan's future is swirling in Washington, DC. That's because a couple of news outlets are reporting that they've learned that the longtime Wisconsin GOP lawmaker plans to resign -- or not run for reelection next fall.

Problems at the state’s troubled youth prison, Lincoln Hills, continue to come to light. Complaints regarding inmate treatment have surfaced over the last two years while at the same time, reports have also surfaced about teens attacking guards. A federal probe of the facility continues.

The CEO of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino joined Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Friday to announce a partnership between the city and the Forest County Potawatomi Community. The agreement calls for the Potawatomi to give $10 million to the city over the course of 12 years. The mayor's office says the money "will be used to offset operating costs and will include free rides for all for the first 12 months of the streetcar's operation."